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Nieuwe impuls voor het thema Micro-assemblage

Het grote aantal spin-off bedrijven dat in de regio Twente actief is, was een van de belangrijke redenen om in Twente het Fraunhofer Project Center (of kortweg FPC) op te richten. Nu een aantal van deze bedrijven hun productie flink gaat opschalen, is het belangrijk dat zij daarbij volop gebruik kunnen maken van de kennis en expertise van de partners in het FPC op gebieden als productietechniek en precisie-assemblage. Sinds dit voorjaar ligt de coördinatie van dit laatste expertisegebied bij het lectoraat NanoPhysics van Saxion University of Applied Science. Het lectoraat NanoPhysics van Cas Damen houdt zich in het onderzoek bezig met de toepassing van chips in speciale producten, met name in sensoren. Daarbij richt het zich op chips die niet gebaseerd zijn op micro-elektronica, maar op fotonica, MEMS (micro-elektromechanische systemen) en microfluïdica. Onderwerpen van onderzoek zijn de aansturing en uitlezing van deze chips, het (grootschalig) testen ervan en de integratie in grotere eenheden (assemblage).

Planning nature-based solutions for urban flood reduction and thermal comfort enhancement

As a consequence of climate change and urbanization, many cities will have to deal with more flooding and extreme heat stress. This paper presents a framework to maximize the effectiveness of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for flood risk reduction and thermal comfort enhancement. The framework involves an assessment of hazards with the use of models and field measurements. It also detects suitable implementation sites for NBS and quantifies their effectiveness for thermal comfort enhancement and flood risk reduction. The framework was applied in a densely urbanized study area, for which different small-scale urban NBS and their potential locations for implementation were assessed. The overall results show that the most effective performance in terms of flood mitigation and thermal comfort enhancement is likely achieved by applying a range of different measures at different locations. Therefore, the work presented here shows the potential of the framework to achieve an effective combination of measures and their locations, which was demonstrated on the case of the Sukhumvit area in Bangkok (Thailand). This can be particularly suitable for assessing and planning flood mitigation measures in combination with heat stress reduction.

The Environment in the Lead:

Currently, there is no method available that can systematically score the available ecosystem services in streets or street segments in suburban districts. In this study, different climate adaptation measures and their ecosystem services were categorized into green, blue, and grey categories and weight was given to each category based on their impact on the microclimate. This study took place in the Hillesluis district in the city of Rotterdam and the Paddepoel district in the city of Groningen. In Rotterdam, 21 streets, composed of 42 street segments, were assessed. In Groningen, 17 streets, composed of 45 street segments, were assessed. The available ecosystem services of each street segment were scored from 0–100. The scorecard method that was developed and tested during this study provided insight in the variation of available ecosystem services of streets and street segments. Individual street scores were very low in the city of Rotterdam and ranged between 3 and 50, with the average score for the street segments of 29. In Groningen, the scores were considerably higher with a range between 23 and 70, with an average score of 47 per street segment. The presence of larger green trees, front yards, and façade gardens in the green category are the most distinctive variable, while adaptation measures in the blue category were absent in both cities. The scorecard proved to be very useful in the adaptation labeling of street segments and entire streets. After assessing a neighborhood, the least adaptive streets can be identified relatively easy. Based on the score a label can be given between A+++ and G. The scorecard informs residents and decision makers about which streets are most adaptive and which streets have an adaptation potential. The method can easily be duplicated and used by local governments and community groups to have better insight in the level of climate adaptation of their street. Labels for entire streets can be used to create awareness and encourage residents to take action and expand the number of climate adaptation measures in their street.

Thermal walk in practice - Marineterrein

The thermal walk investigates the influence of urban design on the thermal experience of pedestrians moving through a certain urban area. Thermal walks are often used by scientists to understand how residents experience heat in urban environments. However, thermal walks can also be beneficial to urban professionals working at local governments that need to adapt urban areas to rising temperatures. Thermal walks can answer their questions such as: How hot is a shopping street, a residential area, a specific walking route through the city or a station area? Which adjustments are needed to create cool spaces? Which factors determine whether the outdoor space is hot or cool and which of these factors can be included in a heat-resilient design? A thermal walk reveals and lets participants experience which urban designs are hottest, coolest or most pleasant, and which factors play a role. Therefore, thermal walks can help urban professionals by:• Mapping the heat resilience of a specific area and understanding which adjustments can help to create cooler areas; and• Teaching them the phenomenon of urban heat and the factors that lead to a heat resilient design. On the 18th of June 2019, during the ‘We make the city’ festival, we used the thermal walk to investigate the heat resilience of the walking route on a former historic naval base in the city of Amsterdam, the Marineterrein. In addition, the thermal walk was accompanied by mini-lectures in order to teach the participants about the phenomenon of urban heat.

Effects of urban trees on local outdoor microclimate: synthesizing field measurements by numerical modelling

Effects of urban green infrastructure (UGI) on local outdoor microclimate during the growing season